An ESPN Host Suggested That Women Provoke Domestic Violence

Cork Gaines, Business Insider

Updated 12:52 pm, Friday, July 25, 2014

ESPN's always controversial show "First Take" took a dark turn during a segment discussing the two-game suspension of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who allegedly knocked his then-fiance unconscious during an altercation at a Las Vegas hotel.

After saying that it is wrong for men to put their hands on women, ESPN host Stephen Smith goes on to say that he has always encouraged "female members of [his] family" to make sure "we don't do anything to provoke wrong actions." Smith goes on to say that women need to "do [their] part in making sure that [violence] doesn't happen."

Smith even repeats the last part later on. Again, after clarifying that domestic abuse is a bad thing, Smith says "we got to also make sure that you can do your part to do whatever you can do to make, to try to make sure it doesn’t happen. We know they’re wrong. We know they’re criminals. We know they probably deserve to be in jail. In Ray Rice’s case, he probably deserves more than a 2-game suspension which we both acknowledged. But at the same time, we also have to make sure that we learn as much as we can about elements of provocation ... we’ve got to do is do what we can to try to prevent the situation from happening in any way. And I don’t think that’s broached enough, is all I’m saying."

After watching the video, ESPN's own Michelle Beadle went to Twitter to express her disgust with the ignorant comments.

After seeing Beadle's reaction, Smith tried to clarify his remarks but appeared to just repeat what he said earlier.

“We know you have no business putting your hands on a woman. I don’t know how many times I got to reiterate that. But as a man who was raised by women, see I know what I’m going to do if somebody touches a female member of my family. I know what I’m going to do, I know what my boys are going to do. I know what, I’m going to have to remind myself that I work for the Worldwide Leader, I’m going to have to get law enforcement officials involved because of what I’m going to be tempted to do. But what I’ve tried to employ the female members of my family, some of who you all met and talked to and what have you, is that again, and this what, I’ve done this all my life, let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions, because if I come, or somebody else come, whether it’s law enforcement officials, your brother or the fellas that you know, if we come after somebody has put their hands on you, it doesn’t negate the fact that they already put their hands on you. So let’s try to make sure that we can do our part in making sure that that doesn’t happen.”

“Now you got some dudes that are just horrible and they’re going to do it anyway, and there’s never an excuse to put your hands on a woman. But domestic violence or whatever the case may be, with men putting their hands on women, is obviously a very real, real issue in our society. And I think that just talking about what guys shouldn’t do, we got to also make sure that you can do your part to do whatever you can do to make, to try to make sure it doesn’t happen. We know they’re wrong. We know they’re criminals. We know they probably deserve to be in jail. In Ray Rice’s case, he probably deserves more than a 2-game suspension which we both acknowledged. But at the same time, we also have to make sure that we learn as much as we can about elements of provocation. Not that there’s real provocation, but the elements of provocation, you got to make sure that you address them, because we’ve got to do is do what we can to try to prevent the situation from happening in any way. And I don’t think that’s broached enough, is all I’m saying. No point of blame.”